Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Day 1: The United State of Women Summit

I heard Warren Buffett, President Obama, Michelle Obama and Joe Biden speak today, live at the first ever United State of Women Summit. A special mention of the two eleven-year old girls who are changing the world Marley Dias and Mikaila Ulmer. Each of these and so many others spoke with utmost clarity and conviction about their causes, dreams and realities. Here's what I remember from each talk...

Joe Biden said that his dad told him that the cardinal sin was to lift a hand to hurt a women, and that it was the worst kind of abuse of power. He said it is the culture needs to change, since the laws were in place and not enough. He said his work would be done when not one woman who was assaulted ever felt guilty that it may have been her fault and not one man ever thought that a woman "had it coming".

Mikaila urged us all to dream like a kid and introduced President Obama.

President Obama said he knew we were all there to see Michelle, that birth control was now free because of the affordable care act which couldn't treat women differently, and that the next generation thought that "discrimination was for losers". He looked like a feminist : :)

Warren Buffet said the one graduation ceremony he accepts to speak at are the 10000 Women project by Goldman Sachs and he really likes those graduates best. He was also bullish on women, and, the anonymous winner of the lunch bid was a woman this year!

Michelle Obama said we have to spend time to get to know ourselves, prioritize what we spend our time on to stay on track, and be authentic to who we are. She also urged men to "be better". Better fathers, better husbands, better employers and just better at everything.

I had a lovely time, interacted with so many inspiring people, and have a lot of new connections that I need to strengthen. I am inspired!